Man Utd eye BARGAIN January transfer for goalscoring sensation

Suraj Radia

30 Nov 2023 10:29 CST
3 min read

Erik ten Hag, Man Utd, smiling — © ProShots

Manchester United’s striking woes this season have been well-documented and Erik ten Hag could look to sign one of the most prolific strikers in the world in order to solve his side’s goalscoring issues.

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Ten Hag’s men have scored the least amount of goals of any side in the top half of the Premier League, with United’s forwards scoring just four of their 16 goals this year.

United spent big on Rasmus Hojlund in the summer but the €75 million youngster has yet to open his Premier League account in nine apperances, while Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Anthony Martial have just one goal each from open play so far.

Ten Hag had been hoping to sign another forward regardless but United’s outlay of more than €200m in the summer has led to tight constraints, however the English side have made themselves the latest team interested in securing a bargain deal for a striker in January.

Only one player in Europe’s top leagues has scored more than Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy, with the 27-year-old grabbing an astonishing 15 goals in just eight starts this season.

And the Guinea international is believed to have a release clause in his contract worth a modest €17.5m that makes him an appealing option for any side in need of goals this winter, leading to United’s interest, according to FootMercato.

Why United should proceed with caution on Guirassy

Guirassy only joined Stuttgart permanently this summer, having spent last season on loan with the Bundesliga side, where he scored 11 times in 22 games and he has recently returned from injury after netting 13 times in the first seven games of the campaign.

The French-born striker is enjoying his most prolific season ever just ten appearances in and his low release clause has led to interest from the likes of Newcastle, Milan and Roma as well as United.

© ProShots - Only Harry Kane has scored more goals than Serhou Guirassy this season.

Guirassy would certainly be open to making the step up to one of Europe’s elite clubs next year but a stumbling block could be his anticipated absence during the Africa Cup of Nations, which begins in January.

The 6 foot 2 inch striker is also turning 28 in March and, while his clause still represents a significantly lower-than-market-value price for a man in his form, the risk would be handing a long-term, lucrative contract to a player who has had an underwhelming career until this season.

Ultimately for United, Guirassy could represent a shrewd solution to their goalscoring woes for a bargain price but they would be hoping for a seamless and injury-free transition to Premier League football in order to ensure the deal represents long-term value to the club.